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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828785">There Is Not A Thing That I Wouldn't Do</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/singing_to_empty_caves/pseuds/singing_to_empty_caves'>singing_to_empty_caves</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>That's What Bein' A Friend Is About [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone is saved, M/M, and yes u read those tags RIGHT, our brave lil boy is BACK, we love this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:48:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/singing_to_empty_caves/pseuds/singing_to_empty_caves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to save his friends, a brave new Lloyd has to take some help from the past--and take a chance on the future.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lloyd/Ninten (Mother 1), ninten/ana (one-sided)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>That's What Bein' A Friend Is About [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>There Is Not A Thing That I Wouldn't Do</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lloyd stared at the ceiling.</p>
<p>He’d done everything else he could do. He’d yelled, cried, thrown things, yelled some more, until his voice started to give out.</p>
<p>In fact, Lloyd had yelled Major Payne right out of the house, insisting that he “didn’t drive fast enough” and “if they die, it’ll be his fault”. Neither of those things were true. Lloyd knew they weren’t, even while the words were still coming out of his mouth. That didn’t mean he wasn’t angry, just so <i>furious</i> at everything he even looked at.</p>
<p>The Major didn’t get angry in return, and once Lloyd had yelled his voice hoarse, had quietly told him to “get some rest, son”. He left the house after that.</p>
<p>How was Lloyd supposed to sleep knowing Ninten, Ana, and this Teddy guy were all burnt to a crisp and lying in beds, lives in the hands of a healer, just in the other room? How could he rest knowing he was <i>too late?</i></p>
<p>Lloyd didn’t know if he could ever be like Ana or Ninten--going to church and all--but he’d said a couple of prayers anyways, so that maybe if there was someone up there after all, he’d take mercy on Lloyd’s friends.</p>
<p>It wasn’t like anyone was gonna descend from the sky and miraculously save the three of them. Lloyd knew that. Even if no one heard his prayers, he knew that any successful healing would take time. He had to wait. He had to calm down.</p>
<p>So how come nothing he’d tried to do with his feelings made them any better?</p>
<p>He felt like he was boiling. There was all kinds of anger rolling and burning inside of his body, with overwhelming sadness bubbling up between. It was boiling over, leaking, he was <i>crying</i>. But the thing is, all of the messy feelings didn’t make sense! The core of the Earth was supposed to be the hottest part, but deep down, Lloyd just felt cold. At his own core, he knew there… wasn’t much hope.</p>
<p>The healer had spoken to Lloyd shortly after the tank’s arrival, explaining the situation--explaining the extent of the injuries.</p>
<p>Third degree burns, at least. Those needed immediate treatment. Lloyd had been <i>hours</i> too late for that. Every one of them looked like they’d just been dragged out of a housefire, and left lying in the dirt to get infected and to heal all wrong and--</p>
<p>Lloyd wished he didn’t know what these burns could do to a person. He wished he hadn’t stayed up past his bedtime watching a documentary on TV and seeing all those pictures, lighting up a dark and dusty living room, with only one other source of light down the hall...</p>
<p>...There was one thing Lloyd hadn’t tried yet.</p><hr/>
<p>One ring. Two. Three.</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p>Lloyd took a shaky breath.</p>
<p>“Hi, Mom.”</p>
<p>“...Lloyd..?”</p>
<p>She sounded even more tired than usual. Did he wake her up? He hoped he didn’t, she needed rest...</p>
<p>“Yeah. It’s me.”</p>
<p>“Oh--oh, sweetie, I’m so glad you called… I’ve been so <i>worried</i>…”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry I haven’t been calling home. We haven’t talked since I was in Snowman, have we?”</p>
<p>Lloyd heard static, probably his mother fumbling with the phone.</p>
<p>“You were all the way in <i>Snowman?!</i> Where are you now? What’s going on? Are you okay?” she fired off, sounding much more alert.</p>
<p>“I’m, um, I’m at Mount Itoi. It’s near Valentine. And, uh, I’m okay. I mean, I’m not hurt or anything. I mean, not physically,” Lloyd stumbled.</p>
<p>“<i>Valentine--</i>oh, but you sound so upset! What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“Well, uh… remember that friend I told you about a while back?”</p>
<p>“The one who’s traveling with you and paying for your hotel rooms?”</p>
<p>Is that really what she took from their conversation? ...Was that all Lloyd told her?</p>
<p>“...Yeah. Mom, he’s--I didn’t tell you very much. I’m sorry. But he’s… he’s strong, <i>really</i> strong, and so’s this other girl we met in Snowman, and I swear, if you could <i>see</i> them in action--or even just in their normal lives!” Talking to his mom felt a little easier with every word. “I know it sounds crazy, but that note I left about saving the planet, I meant it! I’ve been so many places, exploring the world, it’s… everything’s been so crazy. They’re amazing, and they’re some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and now...”</p>
<p>“...Something happened, didn’t it?”</p>
<p>“They’re… they got hurt, and I dunno what to do. It’s--it’s bad, Mom, they’re covered in burns and-and I didn’t get there fast enough--”</p>
<p>“Oh, sweetie, take a deep breath.”</p>
<p>Ninten’s voice surfaced in Lloyd’s head, saying the exact same words, and Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut.</p>
<p>"Baby, I know you're upset. You're scared, and you're trying to deal with a lot of feelings. Well, you did the right thing, calling home. I'm here to listen, even if I'm not there with you like I want to be."</p>
<p>Lloyd rubbed his eye and felt the tears smear across his face. "Thanks, Mom…"</p>
<p>"You said you're with a… healer? Not a doctor?"</p>
<p>"The healer was closer, and--" Lloyd paused to wipe his nose this time. "He can use a special kind of PSI--um, psychic energy. It works even better than medicine sometimes."</p>
<p>Lloyd’s mother was quiet. </p>
<p>“Mom?”</p>
<p>Just when he started to worry that the call had dropped, he heard something rustle again.</p>
<p>“PSI?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. I mean, my friends can use it too--just for different things, you know, not like the healer can."</p>
<p>"Your friends..?”</p>
<p>Alarm bells started going off--his mother didn't sound okay. Not at all. That whisper wasn’t normal.</p>
<p>“Y-yeah,” Lloyd said, clutching the phone tighter. “Both of ‘em use PSI, they’re really good at it.”</p>
<p>Through the muffled phone call, Lloyd heard his mom try to hide a cough from him.</p>
<p>“Your father used to go on and on about PSI.”</p>
<p>The whole world stopped for a moment.</p>
<p>His… <i>dad?</i></p>
<p>Lloyd's mother almost never talked to him about his father. When Lloyd brought him up, she'd get teary-eyed.</p>
<p>So, not only did Lloyd's father know about the power Ninten and Ana held, but… it was important enough to make Lloyd's mother talk about the elephant in the room.</p>
<p>Ninten and Ana's abilities always seemed like something… unique, and strange, and not connected at all to Lloyd’s normal life. Definitely not connected to his <i>family.</i></p>
<p>“Dad knew about PSI?” Lloyd managed to say.</p>
<p>“He read some old research on it, back when he was first exploring scientific theories. Most of the people he worked with thought it was worthless, but Lloyd, your father spent <i>years</i> trying to imitate the psychic abilities that researcher talked about. I always thought it was ridiculous, but…”</p>
<p>“It’s not!” Lloyd gripped the hem of his hoodie in his free hand. “I’ve seen it! That fire at my school, Ninten used PSI Shield to protect us from an explosion!”</p>
<p>“I… don’t understand. Your father said that PSI wasn't very well-known. The only research he found was… eighty or so years old? And these two kids are your age, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah! I-I don’t know--I didn’t know anything about this!"</p>
<p>There was a scientific history to PSI?! Did that mean that different abilities had been tested, and…</p>
<p>“Lloyd, baby--”</p>
<p>“Hold on a sec, Mom!”</p>
<p>Lloyd’s curious mind jumped back into action. Scientific publications meant that someone had made a method from the madness, and that meant that someone had defined what constituted PSI itself. In terms of methods, the healers used PSI differently from Ninten and Ana, but the two of them still had PSI abilities that could help them heal. Obviously, they couldn't use it when they were unconscious--otherwise this situation would be very different--and that’s why the healer’s intervention was necessary. The research could tell Lloyd what PSI was, exactly, and what offensive powers like Ana’s had in common with a healer’s practice.</p>
<p>Another thought crashed in. When Ana first showed up, Lloyd was jealous of her and Ninten being able to use PSI Telepathy with each other and speak back and forth. But when Ninten developed his Telepathy, it wasn’t the same kind--Ana used words, and Ninten used feelings. So how could Ninten “talk” to her without having that type of PSI? There was only one explanation--Ana had to have helped somehow, whether she knew it or not. And if she couldn’t hear Lloyd, then that meant that she could only “hear” people with PSI energy, even if they didn’t know her form of Telepathy themselves. Was she drawing on Ninten’s power? Could PSI abilities… interact with <i>someone else’s PSI?</i></p>
<p>More importantly, if Ana could bridge the gap between two different types of Telepathy--</p>
<p>
  <i>There was a chance the healer’s PSI could connect with a different type of healing.</i>
</p>
<p>Whatever research existed on PSI, Lloyd needed access to it as soon as possible. But… that left one glaring obstacle in the way.</p>
<p>Lloyd took a deep breath. “I need to know more about this… I-I’m gonna call Dad.”</p>
<p>The phone call crackled faintly in the long silence that left.</p>
<p>“...Honey, you haven’t called your father in almost a year,” his mother finally said.</p>
<p>“I know. But he’s still doing research at the swamp, right?”</p>
<p>“A-as far as I know, but--”</p>
<p>“Do you have the phone number?”</p>
<p>“Well, yes, but--Lloyd, I don’t want you to get your hopes up, he’s--”</p>
<p>“Mom, I know. I just… I need to know more about PSI. I think it can save my friends.”</p>
<p>“...Okay.” Lloyd heard his mother take a long breath. “Do you have someplace to write the number down?”</p><hr/>
<p>The phone had been back on the hook for about ten minutes.</p>
<p>Lloyd had a clean page of his notebook open, with a number written across the top. A number he was about to dial.</p>
<p>Of course, if Lloyd was going to start doing things he was too scared to do before, he was going to end up here. This was the biggest of his fears: he was constantly worried that his father was gone for good.</p>
<p>Sure, Dad came home sometimes, but it was only once every few months. He wouldn’t stay in the bedroom with Lloyd’s mom because she was sick, and he would eat out of their cabinets without replacing anything--and he ate enough to make groceries too expensive the next week. He would try to talk to Lloyd about their common interests, but the last time Lloyd had enjoyed a conversation with his dad was… third grade? After that, he started to see that his dad wasn’t doing anything to help his family. If Mom had to go to the hospital, the neighbors took her. If Lloyd needed something for school, it took a lot of saving up. Dad did nothing for either of them--none of his time or love made it home, even when he was physically there.</p>
<p>Well, Lloyd was going to change that.</p>
<p>He dialed the number carefully, trying to avoid even a single mistake as he pulled the rotary dial with his finger.</p>
<p>One ring.</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p>“Is Roger Dunham there?”</p>
<p>“May I ask who’s calling?”</p>
<p>“Lloyd Dunham. His son.”</p>
<p>Something clattered to the ground on the other end.</p>
<p>“<i>Son?!</i>”</p>
<p>That was sooner than expected, and it shook Lloyd to his core.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” Lloyd took a deep breath to steady himself. “I have some questions, Dad.”</p>
<p>“What--you haven’t called in so long! Can’t we catch up first?!”</p>
<p>Lloyd felt tears spring to his eyes.</p>
<p>“No. This is important, it’s an emergency. What do you know about PSI?”</p>
<p>“PSI--wait, do you mean that old study on psychic abilities?! Lloyd, I haven’t picked up that research in <i>years--</i>”</p>
<p>“But you remember it, don’t you?”</p>
<p>“You… why’s my only son calling me for the first time in months to ask such a stupid question? It’s made-up science! Isn’t there more you want to talk about?”</p>
<p>The first time Lloyd tried to answer, something jerked in his chest and stopped the words up. He shook his head and tried again.</p>
<p>“This is what’s important to me right now. I need this information.”</p>
<p>A long sigh echoed over the phone. </p>
<p>“If that’s what makes you happy, son.”</p>
<p>Lloyd clenched a fist. He wanted to scream at his father--<i>you can make me happy by coming home and taking care of Mom again!</i>--but he needed to get the information on PSI first.</p>
<p>“All of the current information on PSI comes from research performed by one man in the first half of the century, and it’s all theoretical. The researcher himself never found a way to use PSI.”</p>
<p>“Then… how did he research it?”</p>
<p>“He wrote that he found a source, but wasn’t sure how human beings could harness it. His publications were compiled from notes he took over the years, but no one really respected the work because he never cited or even <i>mentioned</i> his primary source of information. All we know is that there are two overarching divisions of PSI: psionic and psychokinetic. The former deals with physiology, and the latter deals with external elements.”</p>
<p>“Physiology?”</p>
<p>“The manipulation of the mind and body. He postulated methods of hypnosis, telepathy--”</p>
<p>“What about healing injuries?”</p>
<p>“Well… yes, that too.”</p>
<p>“Did he write anything about <i>how</i> healing with PSI works?”</p>
<p>“Son, is this about your mother?”</p>
<p>...Of course Lloyd’s dad would think that. He had no idea where Lloyd was or what he was doing. Not that Lloyd was exactly looking forward to filling his dad in on the situation.</p>
<p>“No, it’s not about Mom. What did he say about using PSI to heal?”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to feed some delusion that you can cure your mother through psychic energy!”</p>
<p>“That’s not what this is about!”</p>
<p>“Then what is it about?”</p>
<p>Simple as the question was, it snapped the last thread.</p>
<p>“What do you care?!” Lloyd burst out. “You’ve never worried about me before! Or if you did, you definitely didn’t tell me! You don’t do <i>anything</i> for me! Not to mention Mom--even if I tried healing her with PSI, it’d be more than you’ve ever done! You left--you don’t take care of Mom, and you don’t help me at all! And if you’re not gonna come home to spend time with us, or at least send us money for groceries and stuff, then the <i>least</i> you can do is answer a couple of questions!”</p>
<p>Lloyd’s father was evidently too shocked to respond.</p>
<p>“I used to be so sad about it,” Lloyd continued, with the anger boiling in him again. “Well, I’m tired of being sad. We do okay without you. So don’t act like you care, Dad, because you <i>don’t.</i> Just tell me about the research, and that’ll be <i>something</i> you did for me, at least.”</p>
<p>“Lloyd… I had no idea you felt that way.”</p>
<p>Despite everything he was saying, Lloyd had to wipe his nose with his jacket sleeve as the tears just kept coming. “What other way would I feel?”</p>
<p>“I would’ve hoped you’d still trust me.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>This time, the silence was eerie.</p>
<p>“I requested a copy at the Thanksgiving Library years ago, and as far as I’m aware, no one else will have bothered to read it. It’s titled ‘Unexplored Potential Divined by the Outer Galactic’, and written by a man named Dr. Hollander.”</p>
<p>But Lloyd didn’t have time to go back to Thanksgiving! He’d already gone--</p>
<p>...Dr. Hollander..?</p>
<p>The conversation Ninten, Ana and Lloyd had had in front of the cactus suddenly gained a whole new meaning. Ninten’s family was involved in the Weirdness. Ninten--<i>Ninten Hollander</i>--had told Lloyd from the get-go that he was learning about PSI from his great-grandfather’s old journal. Lloyd had assumed that the journal was… well, a hidden family relic or something that Ninten found, like the start of an adventure in a book. But it turned out that “great-grandpa George” was…</p>
<p>“Was it George Hollander?” Lloyd blurted.</p>
<p>“Wh--yes, but how did you--”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Lloyd interrupted, and slammed the phone down.</p>
<p>Dr. Hollander. <i>Whoa.</i></p>
<p>Lloyd’s dad said that the published research on PSI was compiled from notes. Those notes were probably in the notebook Ninten carried around! Which meant--</p>
<p>“I can do this without you,” Lloyd whispered at the phone, feeling the dread of having to work with his father all wash away.</p><hr/>
<p>
  <i>After my many fantastical experiences with the unknown--the majority of which cannot be explained without extensive familiarity with the oft-referenced “strange outsiders”--and the research I have conducted following, I have come to the only reasonable conclusion possible concerning these various employments of psychic, psionic, and psychokinetic energies.</i>
</p>
<p><i>I present to my colleagues in academia the possibility of dormant potential within every human being to recreate the abilities I have spent these many decades studying. Though this potential is, to a degree, determined by a genetic predisposition, I would not preclude the possibility of a gradual awakening of new abilities in a previously-incapable individual over time, or perhaps even a sudden and unexpected manifestation of power. With limited understanding of this phenomenon I call PSI (and yet the fullest understanding to exist in our world as of yet), I present to you what is simultaneously a concerning, fascinating, and exciting fact: the unfathomable infinity of PSI is available to every single member of the human race. Perhaps the spectrum of strength is relatively narrow, and we are all able to connect ourselves to a great wealth of psychic energy. Perhaps this spectrum is vast, and there may be individuals who are capable of only a twinkle. These things lie undiscovered as of yet.</i> </p>
<p>
  <i>With this, the last of my research, I urge other men of science to continue to explore the limitless possibilities. The human race has awoken. Tread into the new world carefully, but with the utmost resolve!</i>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
  <i>Dr. George N. Hollander</i>
</p>
  <p>
  <i>With notable contributions from Maria Jones-Hollander</i>
</p>
</div><hr/>
<p>Lloyd knocked on the door of the healing room, eyes scanning back over the words he’d already turned over in his head.</p>
<p>The reply came muffled by the closed door. “I’ve told you already--”</p>
<p>“I might be able to strengthen your PSI!”</p>
<p>Lloyd took the healer's pause as a signal to keep going.</p>
<p>"Listen, I have information on how PSI works, and how you can use Ninten and Ana's PSI to boost your own healing abilities! PSI users can interact--"</p>
<p>The door slammed open, and Lloyd saw the healer kneeling on the floor and pulling a wave of opaque white PSI over Ninten’s body--obscured by a strong glow, Lloyd couldn’t make out any details. The other two didn’t look like they were doing so well. In fact, they looked unchanged… maybe even <i>worse.</i></p>
<p>“I’ve been making the rounds, but nothing seems to last,” the healer explained in the voice of a tired old man--and he definitely looked <i>tired.</i> “By the time any one of them starts to recover, another one starts to slip and I have to go catch them, and I come back ‘round and it’s all undone. If you somehow know a way out of this cycle, you’re more than welcome to share.”</p>
<p>Lloyd crossed the room to kneel on Ninten’s other side. “Okay. So, Ninten’s a specific type of PSI user called an empath, and according to these notes, there’s a really good chance he has something called an ‘emotional core’ that’s full of his PSI energy. Almost all of his PSI routes through his feelings, or the feelings of whatever he’s using PSI on, so it’s all sitting with his deepest emotions.”</p>
<p>“Whose notes are those?” the healer asked, brow furrowed in concentration.</p>
<p>“An old scientist. Good news is, for Ninten, these should work <i>really</i> well. This notebook is how he teaches himself PSI.”</p>
<p>“...Go on.”</p>
<p>“So, you’re a healer, right? That makes you a biopath. You can only control living cells, change the flow of blood or the distribution of resources or the speed of chemical reactions. And you do all of that with your own PSI. The theory goes that it’s carried in your blood, so it’s all over your body all the time.”</p>
<p>The healer adopted confusion into his already-tense expression. “His… isn’t?”</p>
<p>“No, that’s the thing! His is all--well, it’s in the heart, but not the actual heart. It’s all in one place, a place that’s not exactly biological. Think of it like a… soul? That’s the easiest thing to compare it to. And it makes sense you don’t know about the soul--you only really heal physical stuff, injuries and sicknesses.”</p>
<p>“...Hm.”</p>
<p>“The thing is, a PSI user is almost never totally confined to one ‘division’ of PSI. So, Ninten may be an empath, but he knows how to use some other kinds of powers--like PSI Healing and Lifeup. And he does that a lot like you would, so even though his PSI is emotion-based, it needs to move to other parts of his body. It does that through his bloodstream--and you can work with blood.”</p>
<p>“All right, now, hold on just a moment.”</p>
<p>Lloyd obediently shut up, and the healer hummed in discontent.</p>
<p>“Are you asking me to control this boy’s PSI with my own? That’s not exactly a common practice for PSI healers. I’d venture to say it’s not possible.”</p>
<p>“Not <i>control,</i>” Lloyd corrected. "I mean, it's not like you're taking over. You're just kind of… giving it directions."</p>
<p>"Directions…" The healer shook his head. "So do you mean to tell me that his PSI is capable of recognizing my intentions somehow?"</p>
<p>Lloyd nodded eagerly. "I don't really understand <i>how,</i> but--okay, it’s like if you met someone from Winters. You’d speak the same language as them, but you wouldn’t use the language the same way. Words mean different things, there are sayings you wouldn’t have in common, stuff like that. Uh, how about french fries? You call them ‘fries’, your friend calls them ‘chips’, but in the end it’s the same food you’re talking about. You just have to know that that’s what you’re both talking about!”</p>
<p>Lloyd pointed to Ninten with one hand, and the healer with the other.</p>
<p>“Empath healing abilities, and biopath healing abilities. Same thing, different words. I’ve already seen Ninten and Ana coordinate two different versions of PSI Telepathy together. We just have to figure out how to translate your PSI so that Ninten’s PSI will listen.”</p>
<p>"...And accomplish what?”</p>
<p>“Imagine if you had double your strength right now,” Lloyd said.</p>
<p>The healer’s eyes widened. “Do you really think that’s possible?”</p>
<p>“It has to be!”</p>
<p>“Well… you said it yourself, his PSI isn’t in his blood until he’s using it. How do I make contact with it?”</p>
<p>“We’d need to activate his emotional core,” Lloyd explained. “Wake up the PSI so it can ‘hear’ you, I guess.”</p>
<p>“And…”</p>
<p>“That part isn’t as clear in these notes, but--” Lloyd set the journal down next to his leg. “I think I may have activated his emotional core at least once before.”</p>
<p>“How?”</p>
<p>“When I found him on the mountain, I whispered something to him. I was panicking, and I was emotional, and… listen, his hand twitched. He was almost dead, and <i>he responded.</i>”</p>
<p>“As much as I’d like to believe--”</p>
<p>Lloyd and the healer made eye contact.</p>
<p>“...Okay. I’ll keep a close eye on any PSI activity. Do what you need to.”</p>
<p>Lloyd nodded. “Can you, uh… turn down the healing?”</p>
<p>The glow went still and lost some opacity, and Lloyd shut his eyes so he didn’t have to see Ninten’s face the way it was. Once had been more than enough.</p>
<p>“Hey… Ninten…” </p>
<p>Imagining a healthy Ninten to talk to wasn’t easy. The goofy grin, and the hair sticking out of his cap, and the bright eyes--it was a lot to handle when he knew Ninten was dying in front of him.</p>
<p>“Can you hear me?” Lloyd choked out.</p>
<p>He didn’t hear anything from the healer or from Ninten.</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t go yet. C’mon.” The waterworks were flowing again. “You wanna come back, don’t you? It’s me, it’s Lloyd!”</p>
<p>Still nothing.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you know what you're doing?” the healer asked. “I can’t let him deteriorate for much longer.”</p>
<p>Lloyd knew he hadn’t imagined the twitch of the hand. There had to be something he could still reach out to. <i>There had to be something there.</i></p>
<p>“I <i>need</i> you to come back,” he insisted. “I know I didn’t do as well as I could’ve. I wasn’t the best friend to you sometimes. And I’m sure--I mean, I don’t think we realized what ‘saving the world’ would actually mean, or at least, I didn’t. I-I’m scared, Ninten, I’m so scared. As brave as I am now, you’re the one who made me that way, and… I promise I’ll do everything I can to help. I’ll use the boomerang till it breaks, I’ll always have your back, but you’re the one who knows how to stop the Weirdness. You’re the one I trust. And even if you never say it back, <i>you’re the one I love.</i>”</p>
<p>“I have his PSI!”</p>
<p>Lloyd blinked his eyes open, and tried to wipe them dry with his hoodie sleeve. But when he realized what he was looking at, he dropped his arm and stared on in shock.</p>
<p>Red, green, and blue were flying through every part of Ninten, and a white glow braided into the colors and led them through the body. Lloyd watched in wide-eyed shock as some of the broken bones knitted back together, and some of the burns faded…</p>
<p>...and then it all stopped.</p>
<p>“It’s not enough!” the healer exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Wait, Ninten, c’mon!” Lloyd yelled.</p>
<p>It was no use. The colors fizzled, and left Ninten still battered in front of them.</p>
<p>“...I’m sorry,” the healer said softly.</p>
<p>“No! No, don’t give up, there has to be something else we can do,” Lloyd insisted. “O-okay, um…”</p>
<p>Some of Ninten’s injuries had healed, but not all. Did that mean his PSI wasn’t strong enough? How were they supposed to strengthen it further?!</p>
<p>Wait. They were boosting the healer… with Ninten… and with objective proof that was possible, then...</p>
<p>“What if we could make them into a circuit?” Lloyd asked, looking up at the healer with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“You’ve lost me again.”</p>
<p>“Okay, so the healing is like a lightbulb, it’s drawing power,” Lloyd explained. “And a lightbulb needs a certain amount of power to light up all the way. So what if you have a battery connected to the lightbulb, but the bulb isn’t bright enough?”</p>
<p>The healer blinked.</p>
<p>“You add another battery!” Lloyd finished.</p>
<p>Lloyd snatched the journal and rushed over to Ana’s still form. He flipped open a dog-eared page as the healer, confused but compliant, settled on her other side.</p>
<p>“Like I said, Ana’s a telepath. Her PSI comes from her mind--the electricity in her brain, she’s somehow able to manipulate that as PSI energy. It’s mostly physical energy she works with, transmitting frequencies or exciting particles. There aren’t as many notes on telepaths using healing PSI, but I have a theory of my own--she can convert that electricity into other types of energy for her PSI abilities, the same way we use electricity to make heat at home and stuff. Just, you know, we’d use a radiator, she creates PSI Fire. So, maybe she can convert her internal energy to ‘standard’ PSI--like the stuff you would use--when she needs to heal.”</p>
<p>The healer laughed, soft and still just a little lost. “You’re one smart cookie.”</p>
<p>“Just reading the book,” Lloyd deflected.</p>
<p>“All right, so how do you propose we connect with her PSI?”</p>
<p>“Well, I can’t connect with her brain the way I did with Ninten’s emotional core. Um… have you ever healed heart failure?”</p>
<p>Lloyd’s guess didn’t seem to go over well. “Not the same way a hospital would. There’s no electrical stimulation involved.”</p>
<p>“Well, we need to find <i>something</i> to wake up her brain!”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t want to touch it.” The healer watched her face anxiously. “Toying with the brain is a significant risk already--manipulating the electrical charges could cause a terrible amount of damage.”</p>
<p>“Uh…” Lloyd wrung his hands. “You don’t know any kind of PSI Telepathy?”</p>
<p>“I manipulate body systems, not consciousness.”</p>
<p>
  <i>LLOYD!</i>
</p>
<p>“Her Telepathy’s still active!” Lloyd blurted suddenly.</p>
<p>“Sorry?”</p>
<p>“She called my name before, I-I thought she was still awake and in danger, but I guess could hear her voice even when she was totally out of it. I can hear her voice <i>now.</i> Her PSI’s still going--”</p>
<p>Lloyd gasped and jumped to his feet.</p>
<p>“It interfered with someone’s HAM radio--the Telepathy, I mean. What if she has her own frequency, like a radio would?!”</p>
<p>Lloyd didn’t spare even a second for the healer to respond, instead going straight for the radio on the bedside table. He put his hand on the dial and started to turn it, carefully, gradually.</p>
<p>“Okay, Ana, c’mon… give me something to work with…”</p>
<p>
  <i>LLOYD! Mount Itoi! Please, come help us!</i>
</p>
<p>FM radio wasn’t working. Lloyd switched to AM.</p>
<p>
  <i>Please, we need you! We’re on Mount Itoi!</i>
</p>
<p>Lloyd jumped back from the radio when he found a channel full of the same screeching static, startled by the noise. He turned the volume down lower, squinted at the tuner, and then spun around.</p>
<p>“That’s her. AM 792!”</p>
<p>“How do you propose we use this information?”</p>
<p>“AM 792--that’s 792 kilohertz,” Lloyd explained. “That’s the signal coming from her brain. Normally, a radio sort of unpacks an incoming signal so you can hear the original sounds, but that static definitely doesn’t sound like coherent words.”</p>
<p>“All right?”</p>
<p>“So that means that somehow, when Ana uses PSI Telepathy, our <i>brains</i> can interpret that static. How do we do that?”</p>
<p>Lloyd started to pace the room, working through all of the information in his head.</p>
<p>“I’m not a PSI user. I don’t have PSI energy anywhere in my body. But I can hear her in my head anyways. How would I--unless the waves she manipulates <i>carry PSI with them!</i>” Lloyd gasped. “So the radio can’t hear her because it’s not able to interpret PSI! Her communications come directly from a human brain--you can’t unpack them properly without a brain to understand them!”</p>
<p>“That sounds like another problem, not a solution.”</p>
<p>Lloyd didn’t bother to stop for the healer to catch up--the momentum carried his thoughts onward faster and faster.</p>
<p>“Ana can focus in on certain targets--I’m the only one who can hear her call to me. I’m the receiver for the signal. That means that I need to be part of the circuit--I’m the only connection we have to her full Telepathy right now. But that works in our favor! Her call is desperate, emotional, and that’ll get to Ninten’s core! Just like that--they’re connected!”</p>
<p>“But they’re... not?”</p>
<p>“They will be,” Lloyd said. </p>
<p>He ran to stand between Ninten and Ana, and tried to steady his breathing.</p>
<p>“Okay. If my theory’s right, then I should have a little PSI coming into my head that I’m using to interpret. Can you intercept that?”</p>
<p>“What on Earth--”</p>
<p>“Circuit, right?” Lloyd nodded quickly. “They need a wire. Ana’s signal is landing in my brain, and I need to pass it on to Ninten. His PSI will activate, and you’ll have all the energy you need.”</p>
<p>The healer inhaled sharply, then stared up at Lloyd with concern. “I meant what I said, you know. Making any changes to the human brain would be an incredibly dangerous move. Not to mention that this PSI theory you have… I’m completely unfamiliar with it. I don’t know how your body would handle all that PSI flowing through it.”</p>
<p>“I need to try. This is the only thing we can do for them,” Lloyd insisted, jamming his shaking hands into his hoodie pockets.</p>
<p>“You have so much faith in their abilities to heal, Lloyd. For your sake, I hope you’re right.”</p>
<p>This was it--the moment of truth. Ninten and Ana were the batteries, and Lloyd was the wire. He was the bridge between them, and he was going to do this and make up for everything he’d done wrong over their friendship.</p>
<p>PSI, when Lloyd could see it, sparked at their fingertips. Lloyd took a deep breath and pulled his hands back out of his hoodie--wrapped Ana’s hand in his left, and Ninten’s hand in his right.</p>
<p>“Okay. You should be able to recognize something from Ana in my head. PSI energy. Try and send it to Ninten.”</p>
<p>Lloyd shut his eyes. <i>Don’t be scared. C’mon. It’s just PSI, and not even an attack. Everything’s gonna be okay.</i></p>
<p>“...I can’t.”</p>
<p>Lloyd felt his whole body tense up. “You <i>can’t?!</i>”</p>
<p>“There’s something in the way! It’s like I can’t get past where your hands join up!”</p>
<p>“<i>Try harder!</i>”</p>
<p>Lloyd felt something pulling through him in waves strong enough to knock the breath out of him. He gasped in more air, despite the fact that he could feel himself growing weaker.</p>
<p>“I can’t get through to Ninten! I’m trying!”</p>
<p>Lloyd gasped in one last breath and squeezed Ninten’s hand as tight as he could. He focused on the sound of Ana’s cry, and on the mental image of Ninten’s battered body, and on the way his heart soared when Ninten smiled--on the warmth that flooded him when Ana offered her support, on how much he wanted to save his <i>friends</i>, and on the skin in his right hand.</p>
<p>As he focused everything he had on Ninten, he swore he could see a tangled, gray, thorny cloud in his head, approaching at incredible speed--</p><hr/>
<p>
  <i>...What happened? Where am I?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>You shouldn’t be here.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Who was that?!</i>
</p>
<p><i>You </i>can’t<i> be here. It’s impossible.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>What do you mean?! I don’t even know where we are!</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Unless… you somehow subverted every known principle of PSI.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...I remember something about having PSI in me. Why do I remember that? I can’t use PSI…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>You used information from George’s work.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>George… who’s George?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I should’ve expected your memory to be scrambled. After all, you’re like a child trying to operate a supercomputer.</i>
</p>
<p><i>...Well, I </i>am<i> a child.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>Yes, and you’ve somehow figured out one of the deepest secrets of PSI itself. You couldn’t have done that on your own. You took this information from someone else.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>If I stole something, I didn’t mean to!</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>You only stole it from another thief. Besides, that’s all your kind know how to do--steal, and then lie about it, and then play with dangerous things you have no business touching.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...Do you see those shifting colors? All of the tones of red, green, and blue in front of you?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Yeah… I think it’s my friend. At least, that’s what it feels like--a friend.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Your friend has very colorful PSI. Almost offensively so.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Is that what those colors are?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Yes. That is someone’s unique PSI energy, reflective of their inner self. They must be… lively.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>What about that light blue over there? It’s not as bright as the other blue.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>That would appear to be another PSI energy entirely. I’m still unsure of how you managed that.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Managed what?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>You have two different PSI energies crossing through your body at the same time. Just one at this strength should’ve caused you severe harm. Both should’ve killed you, hence the “you can’t be here”.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>So what does that mean for me?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It means you’ve harnessed something even I’m not aware of. You are capable of a technique so powerful that you’ve made yourself into a PSI lightning rod with virtually no consequences.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Not a lightning rod, a wire.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>And how do you know that?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Even the memory loss seems to be temporary.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I don’t think so. I’m not really remembering anything. I don’t know why I said “wire”. It just… seemed right.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I would assume your mind is shielding itself from the massive amounts of energy it’s monitoring and moving at the moment. Most of your memories and functions are inaccessible--hence your lack of physical sensation and perception.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Does that mean I’m still awake?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Awake, yes. Conscious, no--at least, not in the typical sense.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Then… how are you talking to me?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Would you believe me if I told you that the inkling of white in that corner there is yet another unique PSI energy?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No one’s ever been able to hear me through PSI Telepathy before…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It could be that I’m more powerful than most PSI users. Or, it could be that a body under this much psychic duress has amplified its underlying abilities.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Underlying… I don’t have PSI.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Psychic practices require energy on both ends. Your PSI reserve is so small, it’s almost entirely negligible--at least, outside of a situation like this.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>But I do have PSI?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Enough to hear me. To perceive the presence of a friend. To conduct the energy of far more powerful entities through your own body.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>You’re wondering who I am.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Why do you know so much about PSI? And how did you find me?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I could ask the same of you, young thief.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>What do you mean?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Why is the white light fading?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>...</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Hello?!</i>
</p><hr/>
<p>Lloyd blinked his eyes open.</p>
<p>The ceiling looked like it had somehow been painted by light. Like a rainbow had seared itself onto the white surface, leaving faint waves of color behind.</p>
<p>He was… in a bed. Why was he in a bed? The last thing he remembered, he was...</p>
<p>“...But he’s gonna wake up, right? He’s gotta!”</p>
<p>Lloyd sat upright, startled by the sound of <i>Ninten’s voice.</i> It was muffled by the door, but he’d know it anywhere.</p>
<p>“Ninten!” he shouted, making a clumsy attempt at getting out of bed to go find him.</p>
<p>“<i>Lloyd!</i>”</p>
<p>Before either of Lloyd’s feet hit the floor, the door flew open, and Ninten all but tackled him in a bone-crushing hug. He was actually, really there. Awake. They were hugging.</p>
<p>“You’re alive,” Lloyd said--and because of the sheer relief he was feeling, it came out as a laugh.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m alive,” Ninten echoed, still not letting go.</p>
<p>“Are Ana and Teddy okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Yeah, Ana’s okay, she’s workin’ with the healer and they’re doin’ a real good job at helpin’ Teddy.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Lloyd said.</p>
<p>Ninten finally let him go, and sat on his heels at the other end of the mattress.</p>
<p>“I missed you, Lloyd. I don’t think I could even tell you how much, I don’t know the right words, but I-I dunno what I woulda done if--”</p>
<p>Ninten started shaking--gasped--and wiped at his eyes with his bandana.</p>
<p>That was the wake-up call. Because when Lloyd really thought about it… Ninten had almost <i>died.</i> Forget how upset Lloyd had been, he wasn’t the one who was burnt to a crisp and barely hanging on. Ninten could’ve easily just… never come back. Lloyd couldn’t even begin to imagine how that felt.</p>
<p>“Ninten--”</p>
<p>“But I didn’t,” Ninten said with a loud sniffle. “You came back. You saved us. You saved <i>me.</i> You’re… I dunno why you came back, but I’m glad you did. I’m so, so glad. You have <i>no idea.</i>”</p>
<p>Ninten pounced on Lloyd for another hug, still gasping shaky breaths and crying into Lloyd’s jacket.</p>
<p>This was… weird. Lloyd knew that everything, logically, made perfect sense--he’d saved Ninten’s life, and Ninten was grateful for it. But there was something about being the hero, being the strong one--it was unsettling. Lloyd didn’t like this--he didn’t like Ninten giving him all the credit, because… Lloyd didn’t do it alone.</p>
<p>Ninten finally backed off, and the combination of relief, joy, and distress on his face nearly punched Lloyd in the face.</p>
<p>Well, this seemed like as good a time as any to have the conversation Lloyd was planning on having.</p>
<p>“I came back because I knew you needed me. And I knew that because Ana called out to me,” he started to explain.</p>
<p>“But Lloyd, I sent you home, I <i>knew</i> I was hurtin’ your feelings, and you left, and--and I wouldn’t’a blamed ya if you didn’t come back, ya know.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t think I was coming back,” Lloyd said. “But I realized that Teddy didn’t know what he was talking about--not all the way. I wasn’t brave for myself, sure, and Teddy could’ve beat me up then and there. But when I realized that my friends were in danger, I didn’t even give it a second thought. And after that, everything I did to get back here, to save everyone--Ninten, it all came from <i>you.</i>”</p>
<p>“...What?”</p>
<p>“The money you slipped into my wallet, that paid for a late-night bus ticket. I started standing up for myself, and looking for ways to solve problems instead of just-just letting things happen. I mean, when the bus routes were out, I borrowed a <i>tank!</i>"</p>
<p>Ninten's jaw practically hit the floor.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't have ever been brave enough to do that without you. You made me better--you helped me to speak up and not just back off. So I promised myself I'd thank you… I mean it. Thank you."</p>
<p>"But--"</p>
<p>"And the other thing is…" Lloyd sighed. "I was scared of something else. Ninten, I lied to you for a really long time. And I lied to Ana, too. You guys were both okay with me feeling… the way that I do, but I was terrified that I’d get hurt, or jealous, or something--but, um, I’m not the person who matters here. You two are.”</p>
<p>Ninten stared back at Lloyd in confusion.</p>
<p>“I know you like Ana. And… I also know that she likes you. A lot. And I’m sorry I kept it secret, and I get it if you’re mad--”</p>
<p>"I know she likes me," Ninten interrupted.</p>
<p>That information blindsided Lloyd--and so did the realization that Ninten definitely looked more upset than before.</p>
<p>“...You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Lloyd asked.</p>
<p>It was Ninten’s turn to be surprised. “What--no! What makes ya think that?!”</p>
<p>“I dunno, I said that and you looked really upset!”</p>
<p>"No, that's not it!" Ninten insisted. "See, Ana already told me she likes me. Before you showed up, actually."</p>
<p>"Then… aren't you happy?"</p>
<p>"I thought I'd be. Ya know, it was straight outta the cheesy movies--we danced to a love song, n' she looked up at me and told me how she felt. If we'd'a been in a movie, that woulda been the part where I told her I felt the same, right?"</p>
<p>Lloyd nodded uneasily, unable to miss the growing distress on Ninten's face.</p>
<p>"But I… I don't. I don't like her. N' I was freakin' out, tryin' to figure out what happened. See, I know what it feels like when I'm dizzy over a girl, n' none a' that happened with Ana--but I realized it did for someone else."</p>
<p>That was a twist Lloyd never would've seen coming. Ninten had a <i>different</i> crush?</p>
<p>"See, up until then I was tellin' myself Ana was the one I really liked. But, um… we were standin' there, the record was still goin', and I realized I knew someone with… a real soft voice, n' pretty eyes. Someone who cared about me even when I wasn't bein' the nicest. Someone who… trusted me, and made sure I was takin' care a' myself--looked out for me when things got rough."</p>
<p>"She sounds nice," Lloyd said.</p>
<p>"...Yeah. But I wasn't too nice in return."</p>
<p>Lloyd couldn't remember Ninten being unkind to anyone so far. It must've been someone he met while Lloyd was gone.</p>
<p>"I don't believe that."</p>
<p>"Well, it's true. I got real scared of how I felt, n' I let it get in the way--I hurt someone 'cause I didn't wanna be in love. Ain't that dumb..?"</p>
<p>"Well, did you get to tell this girl you were sorry, or that you liked her?"</p>
<p>"Right after I realized who I really liked, as soon as I told Ana the truth, the back a' the house blew up."</p>
<p>Lloyd made the connection, and he winced. "What… happened to you guys, anyways?"</p>
<p>"Giant robot attack," Ninten said bluntly.</p>
<p>"Oh. Wow."</p>
<p>"We did our best to fight it off, but it was just too strong. And I kept thinkin', if I was gonna die… well, no, I <i>couldn't</i>. I had to apologize. I had to make things right. But there was no way any of us were gonna take down that robot, so… Ana and I just tried to protect ourselves n' Teddy with as much PSI as we had left, n' let it beat us. Thought maybe if we kept up a little shield, it'd keep us alive just a lil' bit longer. Thought maybe… or wished, I guess, that I'd live long enough to be able to apologize to that person I like."</p>
<p>Ninten stared down at the bedsheets and started playing with a loose thread on his shorts.</p>
<p>"Well, Ninten--"</p>
<p>"So imagine my surprise--" Ninten's voice had gone quieter, and cracked on the last word. He took a deep breath, shaking, and tried again. </p>
<p>"Imagine my surprise when my wish came true, 'cause he showed up n' saved our lives."</p>
<p>Ninten met Lloyd's eyes again, just as Lloyd's heartbeat skipped and then shot to the speed of light.</p>
<p>He felt lightheaded again… this had to be some kind of weird aftershock, right? Ninten’s stunt in Valentine was making its way into Lloyd’s thoughts again, that was all.</p>
<p>But then more words started tumbling out of Ninten’s mouth, all rushed and loud and nervous.</p>
<p>"C’mon, ya can’t just stare at me like that! Didn’tcha hear me?! Everythin’ ya said about how you feel, it's the same for me! I like hearin' you talk, you hardly ever smile but I get all weird n' floaty when you do, a-and ya got those huge, <i>pretty</i> eyes! I don't like Ana that way, I like <i>you</i> that way!"</p>
<p>Lloyd stared back at Ninten. There were so many things shooting though his head, stuff he wanted to say, questions he wanted to ask, feelings he wanted to express, and only one of them made it out of his mouth.</p>
<p>"My eyes are... pretty?"</p>
<p>"...Yeah," Ninten said, quiet again. Nervous. He kept twisting his hands together in his lap.</p>
<p>This was hard for Lloyd to wrap his head around. Impossible, really. It was sort of dizzying.</p>
<p>"But… I mean, y-you knew I liked you. If you really did like me, then why…"</p>
<p>Lloyd's eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. Ninten just <i>told</i> him why: he was scared to feel how he did.</p>
<p>Ninten sent Lloyd away. Back in that jail cell, he looked like he regretted what he was saying before he even finished saying it. He tried to get Lloyd to stay in touch, even though he was the one separating them. He didn’t want to leave Lloyd behind--he was hurting himself, too, but he was afraid of what would happen if Lloyd stayed. </p>
<p>
  <i>He made Lloyd leave because he was afraid of being in love.</i>
</p>
<p>"You were <i>scared?</i>" Lloyd asked in a soft voice.</p>
<p>"Well, yeah… I mean, after what you said about how people treat you if ya like boys, I-I didn't know what to do. I guess I just ignored it. I pretended it didn't happen, n' pushed it outta my head, but--" Ninten sucked in a deep breath. "Then I damn near sang my whole heart out to you--sorry, didn’t mean ta swear--n' I didn't wanna believe that was how I really felt. It scared me so much! So I sent you home, thinkin' maybe you were just rubbin' off on me. Tried to convince myself it wasn’t me at all, that maybe ‘cause I c’n share feelin’s it was just a big ol’ misunderstandin’--that I was just lettin’ your emotions inta my head. And if you were gone, I’d be okay, but it jus' made me all touchy n' weird 'cause I was tryin' ta pretend it wa'nt real. I dunno, I just <i>really</i> didn't wanna believe I was… like you?"</p>
<p>The last piece clicked into place. "You didn't want people to treat you that way--the way I talked about. That's... what you were scared of, wasn't it?"</p>
<p>Ninten nodded. "See, and now--well, here you are, talkin' about how brave I am, but what'd I do? I tried to run away from everything. And when it was really important, <i>you</i> were the one who did all the hard stuff. You’re the brave one! You told me how you felt, you were honest with Ana, n' then ya did all that crazy stuff to get here!"</p>
<p>"But--"</p>
<p>"And don't tell me I'm brave for bein' ready to fight," Ninten deflected. "That's not brave, that's just stupid."</p>
<p>Lloyd remembered the ridiculous fight they'd had in Thanksgiving--it felt like forever ago--and laughed a little. "You're not stupid. Never were, never will be."</p>
<p>"And you, Lloyd, are not a scaredy-cat. Never were, never will be."</p>
<p>They both paused for a moment.</p>
<p>“But, uh… stupid or not, I’m still no good at math,” Ninten pointed out.</p>
<p>Lloyd shrugged. “And even if I’m brave, I’m not that good at fighting alone.”</p>
<p>“So… I guess we’re better off together, huh?”</p>
<p>“Well, until I’m better at fighting and you can pass fifth grade math.”</p>
<p>They both hesitated for a moment.</p>
<p>“Or…” Ninten started picking at the loose thread again. “Maybe… once we know those things, you could just start helpin’ me with next year’s math?”</p>
<p>“And… maybe you could teach me sports or something, instead of just beating up the Weird-ified.”</p>
<p>Silence stuttered in again.</p>
<p>“I guess, if we’re makin’ all these plans...”</p>
<p>Lloyd was probably putting permanent wrinkles in his hoodie at this point. “Yeah?”</p>
<p>Ninten blinked a couple times, then looked up at Lloyd with dead confusion.</p>
<p>“Hold on a second. Time out. This isn’t part of the real dramatic conversation, all right?”</p>
<p>Now that he was thoroughly confused along with Ninten, Lloyd nodded.</p>
<p>“So if two boys are goin’ steady, whaddya call ‘em? ‘Cause I’m thinkin’ normally there’s two people, a boy n’ a girl, so one of ‘em’s the <i>boy</i>-friend, and then the other’s the <i>girl</i>-friend. That makes sense if you’re tryin’ to talk about ‘em separate, like “mister and missus” n’ stuff like that. But two boyfriends, that’s not real clear, is it? It’s just two boys, that doesn’t help anyone! So you and I, we’d be “boyfriend n’ boyfriend”, which is absolutely <i>no</i> help, ‘cause which boyfriend is which? “Well, that’s his boyfriend”--okay, so who’s “his” and who’s “boyfriend”, ‘cause I’m the one talkin’ and I’m already confused!”</p>
<p>Wait a minute. Was Ninten--</p>
<p>Once the realization hit him, Lloyd couldn’t keep in his laughter. He collapsed onto the bed, losing all his tension to a mess of wheezing giggles.</p>
<p>“Hey, what’s so funny?!”</p>
<p>“Ninten--” Lloyd gasped. “--you’re confused, all right.”</p>
<p>Ninten frowned at Lloyd. “Whaddya mean?”</p>
<p>“You started trying to figure out what we’re supposed to call each other before you even asked me out!”</p>
<p>Ninten’s eyes widened. “Oh, jeez! Wait, wait, no, I can fix this!”</p>
<p>“It’s okay--”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not, I gotta at <i>least</i> do this proper! C’mon, sit up!”</p>
<p>Lloyd pushed himself back up to a sitting position, still bubbling up with giggles. Ninten cleared his throat, adjusted his posture, and did his best to suppress the ecstatic grin that was clearly creeping onto his face.</p>
<p>"Lloyd Dunham, would you give me the honor of going steady with me, and bein’ my… boyfriend?"</p>
<p>Lloyd felt a huge smile overtake his face, bigger than he thought he'd ever had in front of Ninten.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Of course!"</p>
<p>Lloyd could hardly breathe in the next hug, but he didn't really care. The bony arms squeezing him tight, the dark, messy hair brushing against his face, this was all Ninten, and Ninten was <i>Lloyd's boyfriend.</i></p>
<p>A flurry of vibrant, happy feelings flew into Lloyd's mind, and he knew for sure that Ninten was just as overjoyed as he was. Knowing that he made Ninten that happy was enough to assure Lloyd that taking this leap into new territory was definitely worth it.</p>
<p>Ninten let Lloyd go, and flashed his huge grin. “There’s so much more I gotta tell ya now! You wouldn’t <i>believe</i> what we did out there! It--”</p>
<p>Lloyd didn’t know why Ninten froze up, but he followed his eyes to the door… to the shadows of two shoes.</p>
<p>“Who’s there?” Ninten asked.</p>
<p>Lloyd felt anxiety wash over him.</p>
<p>“The only person here with feet that small would’ve been Ana.”</p>
<p>The shadows disappeared as Ana tore off running.</p>
<p>“...Oh dear.”</p><hr/>
<p>Ninten knocked on the door to the bathroom again, but his face made it clear that he already knew where this was going.</p>
<p>“Just leave me alone!” Ana shouted inside.</p>
<p>“C’mon… can’t we talk?” Ninten asked.</p>
<p>“You didn’t want to talk when we woke up, did you?”</p>
<p>Ninten winced. “I… well, I’m sorry…”</p>
<p>He took half a step back… then renewed his resolve.</p>
<p>“I can’t letcha hang around all sad, okay?”</p>
<p>Ana didn’t answer.</p>
<p>“Ana, I’m--”</p>
<p>She cut Ninten off by slamming the bathroom door open, then grabbed them both by the wrist and all but <i>dragged</i> them into the bedroom they’d just come from. Despite the gentle colors giving the room a friendly vibe, Lloyd could only detect hostility from Ana.</p>
<p>Ninten tried to speak again, but she slammed the bedroom door this time and then whirled on one heel. She was full of rage from head to toe.</p>
<p>“Do you have <i>any idea</i> what it took for me to spill my heart out like that, Ninten?!”</p>
<p>“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t wanna--”</p>
<p>“What, you didn’t want to <i>pretend</i> you liked me?” Ana scoffed. “After you spent so long trying to do that exact thing?!”</p>
<p>“Well--”</p>
<p>“‘Well’, nothing!” she said in a voice sharp as tacks.</p>
<p>Ana stormed over to one of the beds and sat down. After a couple of seconds, all of the tension drained from her body.</p>
<p>“I mean… really. Nothing,” she sighed. “Everything I’m feeling right now, it shouldn’t be such a big deal.”</p>
<p>“...What?” Lloyd asked.</p>
<p>“I told Ninten I liked him, and then he didn’t feel the same way about me. I was really, really hurt and upset about it. But Lloyd, you know how that feels, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Lloyd bit his lip. He didn’t know what Ana wanted him to say.</p>
<p>“You knew I liked Ninten,” she continued. “And as far as you knew, Ninten liked me. Right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“And you watched that happen, right in front of you, and you didn’t get angry with us--even though you… poured out your whole heart to Ninten and got nothing in return.”</p>
<p>“Well--”</p>
<p>“I got angry in Valentine. I did. I was actually, really mad. But then Ninten sent you away, and you looked absolutely <i>crushed.</i> And I wanted to be mad at you for what happened on the stage, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t be mad. I couldn’t make myself.”</p>
<p>She glanced between Ninten and Lloyd.</p>
<p>“I couldn’t make myself feel angry at you, and… I still can’t. I can’t even be mad at either of you right now, because I know that if Ninten tried to like me back, he wouldn’t mean it, no matter how hard he tried--just like I couldn’t mean it in the jail cell, no matter how much I wanted to. And I can’t hate either of you, because--”</p>
<p>Ana sniffled, and Lloyd realized he’d never seen her cry before.</p>
<p>“--because as much as Ninten hurt me, I know he hurt you too, Lloyd, and I know that both of us made you feel terrible. So how can I complain? It’s hardly been a day, and you’ve put up with it for <i>weeks--</i>”</p>
<p>A sob broke out of Ana’s throat, and something took over Lloyd’s body. He didn’t know how else to explain it--one moment he was unsure of what to do, and the next he was sitting down beside Ana.</p>
<p>“Just because I was hurt, it doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt the same way,” he said. “I mean… what you said goes both ways, Ana. I know how you feel right now, too. And I understand it’s awful, I really do.”</p>
<p>“But--”</p>
<p>Ninten sat down on her other side. “And you don’t hafta be mad just ‘cause you’re hurt, ya know. Even if you don’t wanna yell at us or anything, it’s still makin’ you sad. If there’s anything I’ve learned from bein’ on this adventure, it’s that feelings can be <i>real</i> weird.”</p>
<p>“But I <i>am</i> mad!” Ana burst out, causing both boys to flinch. “I just can’t be mad at either of you, so who am I mad at?! I don’t know! I’m just-just <i>angry!</i>”</p>
<p>Ninten tilted his head to see her face better. “Hey, sometimes you’re just mad. That’s okay. If you could just take a real deep breath…”</p>
<p>Ninten’s unofficial mantra seemed to help Ana, too. She blew out the air slowly, and a little bit unsteadily as the tears kept coming.</p>
<p>“Is that any better?”</p>
<p>Ana nodded, audibly trying to control her breathing.</p>
<p>“Okay. Sorry, that’s about all I can do for ya. Can’t hit your anger with a bat.”</p>
<p>Despite her upset, Ana laughed weakly and wiped her nose on her sleeve.</p>
<p>“It’s so… weird. You’re right. Feelings are weird!”</p>
<p>“I wish we <i>could</i> just get rid of them like the Weirdness,” Lloyd said.</p>
<p>“Hey, Ninten was joking. I don’t want anyone to hit me again.”</p>
<p>“Good, ‘cause I don’t intend to.”</p>
<p>Ana pulled her knees up to her chest. “So… you two are really…”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ninten said.</p>
<p>“...Can I be mad about that without being mad at either of you?”</p>
<p>Lloyd turned that over in his head. “Well, I think so. I mean, you can be upset that your crush is dating someone else, and that doesn’t have anything to do with who the crush actually is… right?”</p>
<p>“Right,” Ana agreed. “But I-I still wanna be happy for you two. I just--”</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it,” Ninten reassured. “Hopefully you’ll feel better ‘bout it later, but right now I’m just glad we’re still friends and you don’t hate our guts.”</p>
<p>“Of course we’re still friends.”</p>
<p>“Even me?” Lloyd half-joked.</p>
<p>Ana managed a wobbly smile. “Especially you.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s a relief.”</p>
<p>Lloyd meant as much. He was worried the whole situation would make their friendship crumble, but it seemed like he and Ana were mostly in the clear.</p>
<p>“...Thanks for listening to me,” Ana mumbled.</p>
<p>“‘S what friends are for,” Ninten said.</p>
<p>Another second of silence passed.</p>
<p>“Group hug time!” Ninten announced, giving Ana and Lloyd exactly five milliseconds to react to his pouncing hug.</p>
<p>“Nin--” Ana’s teary laugh was louder this time. “Ninten!”</p>
<p>“Sorry, Ninten’s not here right now. Too busy huggin’ his friends,'' Ninten announced.</p>
<p>In what felt like the millionth shock of the day, Lloyd felt one of Ana’s arms tighten around him.</p><hr/>
<p>Lloyd stood at the side of Teddy’s bed, staring down at his battered body. Gentle swirls of white, pale blue, and shimmering rainbows slid through his skin, but the improvement was marginal at best.</p>
<p>“He’ll need much longer to make a full recovery,” the healer announced as he lowered his hands--cueing Ana and Ninten to do the same. “But make no mistake, he will recover.”</p>
<p>“No shit?” Teddy croaked.</p>
<p>“You’re awake!” Ninten gasped.</p>
<p>Teddy’s eyes didn’t open, but his mouth twitched up into a smirk. “Yeah, kid. Can’t win against me that easy.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad you’re okay.”</p>
<p>“That makes two of us,” Teddy grunted.</p>
<p>“But you <i>do</i> owe someone an apology,” Ninten said.</p>
<p>Lloyd shook his head. “No, he just woke up--”</p>
<p>“Is that Four-eyes I’m hearing?” Teddy managed to blink his eyes open.</p>
<p>“Yes, and you owe him your life,” Ninten said.</p>
<p>Teddy hummed, glancing over Lloyd. “How ya holding up, glasses?”</p>
<p>“I’m… doing okay. In good shape.”</p>
<p>“At least one of us is.” Teddy started laughing, and then quickly transitioned into coughing.</p>
<p>“You’re gonna get better, though.”</p>
<p>Teddy’s coughing died down, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, according to the psychic jury. What I wanna know is how <i>they’re</i> up and walking.”</p>
<p>“Lloyd,” Ninten answered plainly.</p>
<p>“C’mon, kid, be serious--”</p>
<p>“He is,” the healer interjected. “Lloyd brought you three to me, and just when I was worried I’d never be able to save you, he strung up a very complicated and far-fetched theory that might save you. He willingly conducted Ninten and Ana’s PSI through his own body in an attempt to heal them.”</p>
<p>Teddy considered this for a moment.</p>
<p>“So you’re the one who got us off that cliff?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“And you knew enough about their powers n’ shit to figure out how to save ‘em?”</p>
<p>Lloyd shrugged without realizing Teddy couldn’t see it. “I actually didn’t really know… anything. Not before now. I just researched PSI and had kind of a breakthrough. It was luck more than anything…”</p>
<p>“Luck? Glasses, from what I know, you’ve never been lucky a day in your life.”</p>
<p>Lloyd winced. “I mean--”</p>
<p>“No, shut up, I’m not finished.”</p>
<p>Teddy weakly waved a hand in Lloyd’s direction.</p>
<p>“That was <i>definitely</i> not luck. That was hard work. I don’t know how the hell you made it to Mount Itoi without these two playing bodyguard for you, but whatever got you here… I underestimated you, for sure.”</p>
<p>“It was Ana asking for help. My friends needed me, so I came,” Lloyd said.</p>
<p>“Well… fuck.” Teddy nodded weakly. "All you kids have hearts bigger than your bodies, ya know?"</p>
<p>Ninten grinned. "I take that as a compliment!"</p>
<p>Teddy sighed--long, loud, and hoarse. "I thought I had to toughen up to get by in the world, that that was the only way to survive. Shit, that’s what <i>everyone</i> thinks, you know. But you kids, somehow your big, dumb, soft hearts are making all of you stronger."</p>
<p>"Stronger than you?" Ana half-joked.</p>
<p>"Hell yeah. Your geek friend just helped you cheat death--if I could do that, well, I wouldn't be in this bed right now."</p>
<p>Teddy shifted, and his smirk renewed.</p>
<p>"Speaking of hearts, though--how're the two pining lovebirds? I know your dance got interrupted, but I hope you've made up since then."</p>
<p>All three kids glanced between each other's faces in panic.</p>
<p>"About that--"</p>
<p>"He's not really--"</p>
<p>"She didn't--"</p>
<p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! Couldn't have been <i>that</i> intense…"</p>
<p>They all glanced around again, this time in silence.</p>
<p>“Lloyd’s my boyfriend,” Ninten blurted.</p>
<p>“The <i>fuck?</i>”</p>
<p>"Lloyd's his boyfriend," Ana repeated. "They're the lovebirds here."</p>
<p>"Damn…" Teddy shook his head. "You kids never fail to surprise me."</p>
<p>He tried to sit up, winced from the pain, and settled back down.</p>
<p>"Don't hurt yourself!" Ninten panicked.</p>
<p>"He needs to rest," the healer interjected.</p>
<p>"Bullshit."</p>
<p>Ninten shook his head. "No, Teddy, he's right. We should really leave you be."</p>
<p>"Well… okay, but--" Teddy pointed at Lloyd. "You. I want you to know that you have lost your <i>fucking mind</i> if you plan on sticking around with this kid. You may not be lucky, but luck’s all that keeps him alive.”</p>
<p>“...You’re not gonna make fun of us for it?” Lloyd asked.</p>
<p>“Fuck no. Not when Ninten could take me out in one hit.”</p>
<p>“Hey, I told you I wouldn’t unless I had to!”</p>
<p>Teddy clicked his tongue. “And that, Four-eyes, is why I’ve got a lot to think about. Now get the hell out of here, kids, it’s naptime for Teddy.”</p>
<p>Ninten took one step backwards--then stopped.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry you got hurt."</p>
<p>"Eh, karma at work. That dragon from Magicant's laughing his ass off right now."</p>
<p>Lloyd blinked a couple of times. "Wait a minute, did you guys actually <i>go</i> to Magicant?!"</p>
<p>"That's right!" Ninten gasped. "I never got to tell ya, Lloyd. But we'll talk on our way up the mountain, all right?"</p>
<p>That's right--Ninten, Ana and Teddy had been on their way up the mountain, right? Wherever that robot came from, it wasn't Valentine--it had to have been further up the mountain. They were walking headfirst into danger, as always.</p>
<p>Lloyd glanced between Ninten--still missing one tooth, but the other gap had half a tooth poking out now--and Ana--her skin wasn't nearly as pale as it used to be--and then Ninten's half-unzipped backpack on the floor next to the sofa, with the journal poking out of the pocket.</p>
<p>"Sounds like a plan."</p>
<p>After all, Lloyd definitely had more to tell Ninten and Ana, too--whatever that voice was, it had to mean something, and it was about time they got some more answers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HOLY GUACAMOLE, Y'ALL.<br/>First of all, HUGE thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lottery57/pseuds/Lottery57">Lottery57</a> for giving such amazing feedback and helping me to communicate so many things in the healing scene! Give his fics a read--if you're here, you'd probably like A Third of Love!<br/>NOW. A lot happened here, so let me just say that Dr. Hollander's time in this fic is NOT over, nor is the ~being in the PSI cloud~ who I'm sure you all love. But aside from that--lips are zipped!<br/>Constructive criticism is always welcome. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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